IllustrationValve cover leak or head gasket leak
2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Santa Fe years
Owner complaints for the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe are substantially higher than the model-year median of 212.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Santa Fe years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
720–25K
4425–50K
11650–75K
11275–100K
92100–150K
25150K+
461 reports with mileage · 80 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 215 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports7 fire reports11 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
19 reportsi change the oil on 4/18/2023 in walmart i park the car in my house i used on 04/23/2023 on i-75 southbound the oil light came out and them smoke star on the car fallow by fire me and daugther an husband where on the suv was tereffied
The sunvisors for passenger and driver are defective. I have had the car since 2013 and have had to replace both visors at LEAST once a year, if not more frequently. The visor will suddenly break, swing down, impairing vision of the driver while the car is in motion, including highway speeds. I have been hit in the head sever…
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The sunvisors for passenger and driver are defective. I have had the car since 2013 and have had to replace both visors at LEAST once a year, if not more frequently. The visor will suddenly break, swing down, impairing vision of the driver while the car is in motion, including highway speeds. I have been hit in the head several times when it breaks & swings while driving -- I am going to have a wreck eventually if Huydai does not address this defect in their visors & it is clearly a defect (check YouTube for all the hacks in how to attempt to fix it).
vehicle had a recall in 2017 recall#947 to perform underbody corrision prevent service. in April of 2022 vehicle was taken to a service shop for a oil change at that point the tech sent pictures of the frame that was rotted and suggested bringing the vehicle to the dealer for them to inspect. Vehicle was taken to Sansone Aut…
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vehicle had a recall in 2017 recall#947 to perform underbody corrision prevent service. in April of 2022 vehicle was taken to a service shop for a oil change at that point the tech sent pictures of the frame that was rotted and suggested bringing the vehicle to the dealer for them to inspect. Vehicle was taken to Sansone Auto Mall in Avenel N.J. on April 22,2022 at such time pictures of rotted frame was sent to Hyundai and dealer infomed me that vehicle was unsafe to drive.Two weeks have gone by with no response from Hyundai or dealer after numerous calls. What can I do?
I HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE BREAKING SYSTEM SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR! I HAVE CHANGED THE REAR BREAKS ROATORS AND CALIPTERS AT LEAST 3 TIMES IN THE 5 YEARS I HAVE HAD THIS CAR!! NOW MY REAR WHEELS ARE STARTING TO LOCK UP! VERY UNSAFE! I LOVE THIS CAR BUT ITS GETTING VERY COSTLY I WAS DRIVING WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND I WAS ON…
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I HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE BREAKING SYSTEM SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR! I HAVE CHANGED THE REAR BREAKS ROATORS AND CALIPTERS AT LEAST 3 TIMES IN THE 5 YEARS I HAVE HAD THIS CAR!! NOW MY REAR WHEELS ARE STARTING TO LOCK UP! VERY UNSAFE! I LOVE THIS CAR BUT ITS GETTING VERY COSTLY I WAS DRIVING WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND I WAS ON A STATE HWY
FOR PAST 2 YEARS MY FUEL TANK WILL SENDER IT'S FULL WHEN IT'S BEEN LOW AND ONLY TOO 5 GALS IN A 19 GAL. TANK. I HAVE READ OVER MANY TIMES COMPLAINTS THAT THE GAS GAUGE DOESN'T WORK?? I'VE BEEN QUOTED $425 TO REPAIR IT? IT'S A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTE FE LIMITED. THE CHK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON MY MECHANIC USED THE CAR DETECTOR SYSTEM. …
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FOR PAST 2 YEARS MY FUEL TANK WILL SENDER IT'S FULL WHEN IT'S BEEN LOW AND ONLY TOO 5 GALS IN A 19 GAL. TANK. I HAVE READ OVER MANY TIMES COMPLAINTS THAT THE GAS GAUGE DOESN'T WORK?? I'VE BEEN QUOTED $425 TO REPAIR IT? IT'S A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTE FE LIMITED. THE CHK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON MY MECHANIC USED THE CAR DETECTOR SYSTEM. IT STATES FUEL CAP ISSUES. I REPLACED THAT $70 LATER IT NOT WORKING. I'VE DEALT WITH THIS FOR TOO MANY YEARS
THE FUEL GAUGE FLUCTUATES AND IS NOT ACCURATE. AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK, THE FUEL GAUGE MAY SHOW "EMPTY", AND IT RISES AND FALLS VERY QUICKLY. THIS CAN OCCUR WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT, TURNING, OR WHEN PARKED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS TURNED ON. THERE IS NO WAY TO ACCURATELY TELL HOW MUCH FUEL IS LEFT IN THE TANK. THIS FAULTY FUEL G…
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THE FUEL GAUGE FLUCTUATES AND IS NOT ACCURATE. AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK, THE FUEL GAUGE MAY SHOW "EMPTY", AND IT RISES AND FALLS VERY QUICKLY. THIS CAN OCCUR WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT, TURNING, OR WHEN PARKED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS TURNED ON. THERE IS NO WAY TO ACCURATELY TELL HOW MUCH FUEL IS LEFT IN THE TANK. THIS FAULTY FUEL GAUGE COULD LEAVE ANY SANTA FE MOTORIST AND THEIR PASSENGERS STRANDED IN A DANGEROUS AREA(E.G. BUSY HIGHWAY) OR CONDITION(E.G. BLIZZARD OR HEAT WAVE IN ARIZONA). PLEASE INITIATE A RECALL TO HAVE THIS FIXED. PER ONLINE SOURCES, MANY SANTA FE OWNERS IN THIS YEAR RANGE HAVE THIS SAME BROKEN FUEL GAUGE.
DRIVING UP HILL PUT GAS PEDAL TO FLOOR TO PICK UP SPEED AND ACCELERTOR PEDAL STUCK TO FLOOR. TRIED TO STOP USING BRAKE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE. COULD NOT STOP VAR; THREW IT INTO NEUTRAL AND COASTED TO STOP; TOOK TO DEALER BUT NO PROBLEM FOUND. INCIDENT OCCURRED 5/6/18
FUEL GAUGE ALWAYS READS AS EMPTY, REGARDLESS OF MOVEMENT OR AMOUNT OF GAS IN TANK, LEAVING DRIVER TO RUN OUT OF GAS IN UNDESIRABLE PLACES. REPAIR IS APPROX 600-800 DOLLARS. MANY COMPLAINTS SHOULD BE RECALLED. HAS TO DO WITH THE FUEL SENDING SENSOR OR SOMETHING I WAS TOLD.
UNDER THE HOOD LATCH INOPERATIVE. I PULLED THE INSIDE LATCH TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE ENGINE AND THE HOOD WAS FREE TO OPEN. THE LATCH UNDER THE HOOD DID NOT SPRING BACK TO PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL INTERLOCK. THIS WAS OBSERVED IN THE GARAGE WHILE STATIONARY.
Official recalls
413V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Apr 1, 2013
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
12V354000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
Jul 25, 2012
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2009 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from April 19, 2006, through July 7, 2008. The occupant classification system (OCS) may need recalibration to accurately detect small statured adults.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Improper classification or detection may cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the classification software free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
11V472000 · Air Bags:frontal
Sep 9, 2011
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2008 HYUNDAI VERACRUZ VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM DECEMBER 26, 2006, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2008, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 19, 2006 THROUGH MARCH 20, 2008. THE CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) MAY BECOME DAMAGED THROUGH USAGE OVER TIME. THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WILL EXPERIENCE A HIGH RESISTANCE CONDITION, POTENTIALLY CAUSING THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG TO NOT DEPLOY.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE CLOCK SPRING DEVELOPS HIGH RESISTANCE, IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE DRIVERS AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT THE DRIVER, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES.
Remedy: HYUNDAI DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VEHICLE'S DRIVER'S AIR BAG CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN IN NOVEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI CUSTOMER CONNECT CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.
08V272000 · Equipment:other:labels
Jun 19, 2008
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 88,943 MY 2007-2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH P235/60R18 TIRES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE LABELING REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110 "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES." THE BLACK CERTIFICATION LABEL AFFIXED TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE CENTER PILLAR, INCORRECTLY LISTS THE GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATINGS (GAWR).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: OVERLOADING YOUR VEHICLE MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT HANDLING AND BRAKING AND MAY CAUSE TIRE DAMAGE, RESULTING IN TIRE FAILURE AND A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: HYUNDAI WILL MAIL CORRECTED CERTIFICATION LABELS ALONG WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE AFFECTED OWNERS. THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 5, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities
Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.